Burial-casket



W. H. POWERS & J, H. WALKER. Burial-Gasket.

No. 228,836. Patented June 15,1880.

W di/ una es NJETERS, PHOTO-LITHDGRAPNER, WASHINGTON. D 0.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFrcE.

WILLIAM H. POWERS AND JOSEPH H. WALKER, OF GRAND RAPIDS, lVIIOHIGAN.

BURIAL-CASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,836, dated June 15, 1880.

Application filed February 16, 1880.

and we do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished and forming a part thereof, is a clear, true, and complete description of our invention.

The object of our invention is to provide for a prompt and noiseless closing of burial-caskets at the close of funeral services, and to obviate during that operation the employment of mechanical appliances; also, to afford ready access to the head of a corpse within the casket.

The several features of our invention are made the subjects of claims, as fully set forth at the end of this specification.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents, in perspective, a casket embodying our invention. Fig. 2 represents the top of the casket, Fig. 1, in longitudinal central section. Fig. 3 represents the same in lateral section. Fig. 4 represents, in lateral section, a caskettop embodying certain features of our invention in a modified construction.

The top of the casket A is complex in its structure, being usually composed of wood and made up with sides cm and ends a a of heavy stock to afford a massive external effect, as shown, and a cap, I), of thin stock, the external finish being of such a character as to conceal all joints. The sides and ends aa are provided with a rectangular recess, 0, on their upper inner edges, which, when the cap I) is in posit-ion, affords a raceway for the reception of one or two sliding lids, one of which is a closed face-lid, d, and the other the glass lid 6. So far as our knowledge extends, no casket has ever heretofore been provided with a sliding closed face-lid, with or without a sliding glass lid; but we are well'aware that pivoted and laterally-swinging close face-lids have heretofore been employed both with and without sliding glass lids. The mode of mounting these lids may be considerably varied, and we have shown two different constructions in that connection.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the closed face-lid d is provided at each side edge with a metallic strip,

j, which nearly fills the raceway a vertically, while the thickness of the lid is only about one-half the width of the strip f, thus affording between the under side of the lid and the bottom of recess 0 a space ample for the reception of the sliding glass lid 6, the frame of .which is of slightly lesser width than the facelid, and therefore the inner surfaces of the strips f serve as side guides for the glass-lid frame.

Each lid may be provided with a finger-piece, g, and the face-lid is also provided with a spring-latch, h, whereby when the lid is closed it is firmly locked in position.

It will be seen that the finger pieces g at their upper ends curve from each other, so that the face-lid may be moved without moving the glass lid, or both may be moved together, or when the face-lid is open the glass lid may also be opened.

For the insertion and removal of the lid or lids, a detachable strip, t, secured by screws, is provided on the under side of one of the side pieces, a. This strip is longer than either lid, and its upper surface constitutes the lower side of a portion of the recess 0.

It frequently occurs that the glass lid is not desired on account of its cost or for other reasons, in which case it can readily be removed for use with another casket, and it is therefore important that the casket be so constructed that the face-lid will in no manner be affected by the presence or absence of the glass lid.

In Fig. at two separate lid-recesses are shown. The face-lid recess is formed by the under side of the cap I), the inner upper edge of side pieces, a, and a strip, k, which is longitudinally secured to the side pieces by screws or other suitable means. The side pieces, a, in this form of casket-top are mounted upon a base, I, the upper inner edge of which affords a bearing for the glass frame, which, in this instance, is flaring from the lower surface of the glass 0, the inner surface of the side pieces, a, being beveled to correspond with the outer inclined sides of the glass frame. As in the other construction, a detachable strip is employed to admit of the introduction and removal of the lids.

It will be seen that the exterior finish of the caskettop is neat and symmetrical, and that the opening and closing of either lid may be promptly and noiselessly effected. \/Ve sometimes provide the face-lid with a key-lock for attaining even more security than is aii'orded by the screws heretofore used.

Having thus described our invention, We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a casket-top, of a 

